Southern Miss
Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate
Southern Miss Women's Golf Wins Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate
3/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss freshman Valentina Haupt fired a final-round 78 and the Golden Eagles held off the 12-team field as both captured championships at the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate at the Sevierville Country Club in Sevierville, Tenn., Tuesday.
"Awesome day to finish with a victory at the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate," said Southern Miss women's golf coach Erika Brennan. "Even though we didn't play amazingly well today, it really was those first two rounds, especially in some difficult conditions, that set us up for victory today. It was a total team effort throughout the lineup and everyone had scores that contributed to the overall success of the event.
"They play smart golf and they don't over-complicate things. They keep it simple and continue to fight long after others would have given up and Coach (Brescher) and I are incredibly proud of them."
Haupt, from Santiago, Chile, captured her first individual title in the three-day, 54-hole event that was played at the par 72, 5,803-yard Highlands Course.
She finished the event with a stroke total of 228, tying with Emily Dixon of Youngstown State, but captured the event via a scorecard playoff that saw her 29 pars and seven birdies in the event.
"It was unbelievable effort from Val all three days," said Brennan. "She stayed incredibly patient, attacking and being aggressive when she should have been. She played very mature golf, more than what you expect from a freshman. It was huge for her to get an individual medalist win in her first year and her future is certainly bright."
The Golden Eagles shot a team score of 320 -- finishing with an overall score of 931 - to win the team crown by five strokes over host Tennessee Tech (936).
Southern Miss junior Kelly Erasmus (Capetown, South Africa) captured her fifth top 10 finish of the year, placing sixth, shooting an 81 over the final round to finish at 233.
Freshman Henriette Syr (Oslo, Norway) notched her first top 10 finish, by tying for ninth with a 237, after collecting a final-round 81. Junior Devon Spriddle (Lethbridge, Alberta) also fired an 81 to place tied for 13th with a 241 total and junior Emily Ross (Diamondhead, Miss.) added an 80 over her final 18 holes to end tied for 31st with a 248.
Senior Mackenzie Kelly (Magee, Miss.), playing as an individual, shot her lowest round of the event on the final day with an 82, to end in a 51st-place tie.
"I also want to acknowledge the contributions and the incredible collegiate career of senior Mackenzie Kelly,'' said Brennan. "She has so much grit, heart, fight and determination. An incredibly special young lady and am really excited for her to have a solid three days on the golf course and going out the way she wants to go out and that is being there with the team and celebrating a team victory."
Following Tennessee Tech in second was Oakland (957), Youngstown State (964), Austin Peay (971), UNCG (981), Florida Atlantic (985), Carson-Newman (990), Evansville (993), Western Illinois (1,006), Radford (1,015) and Tennessee State (1,066).
The Golden Eagles return to action in the Lady Rebel Invitational, April 1-3, in Oxford, Miss.
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